Sunday, February 27, 2011

Just as winter arrived early this year, so apparently has Spring. It began to creep into my yard about two weeks ago, and now it is revving up a little more each day. I have never been so excited to see a new growing season because this is our first after completing our Bay-Friendly Landscape Makeover. Plants which have now been in the ground close to a year should be well established, and ready to rock n' roll!

Every day I wander around the yard for a few minutes to see what's growing and blooming. I do a little weeding and pruning, and Rick blows the still-falling leaves from our pathways back to the mulched beds, but those are the only yard chores we have. The grass-free landscape is indeed proving to be as low-maintenance as we hoped. Now time spent in my yard is a delightul choice, rather than mandatory drudgery.

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Flax lilies and bulbine

Bulbine bloom

My trusty bulbines made it through winter with flying colors -- and now they ARE flying their colors! I have both the yellow and the orange bulbines and they are exploding with blooms. I am totally in love with this plant and recommend it constantly to friends.

Hot on their heels were my native viburnums, Big Walter (Walter's viburnum) and the Little Walters (dwarf "Mrs. Schiller's" variety). All are draped in their dainty, lacy white flowers. What a spectacular show!

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Big Walter (Walter's Viburnum)

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Little Walter, our Dwarf Walter's (Mrs. Schiller's) Viburnum

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My Shoal Creek Chaste tree, a deciduous shrub that spent all winter completely leafless, already has begun popping out leaves. In fact, it is producing leaves a full month earlier than last year when I planted it.

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My patio pink lemon tree is covered in fragrant blossoms. I like to sit by it and just inhale the magical perfume.
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Majestic Beauty hawthorne tree

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And I am eagerly awaiting the first pink blossoms opening on my Yedda ("Majestic Beauty") hawthorne, an unusual tree-form Indian hawthorne that all my neighbors admire.

Our native beautyberry is shooting out new green growth at a rapid pace as well.

I can't wait to get home every day and see what is sprouting.

Perfect temperatures, bluebird skies, growing plants everywhere. It's the best time of year!

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About Me

I joined the Tampa Bay Estuary Program in 1998 after a 15-year career as an environmental and science reporter for several Florida newspapers. My work for TBEP allows me to combine my avocation for protecting our very special aquatic environment with my vocation -- teaching others how they can preserve Tampa Bay.